Packers QB Jordan Love Taking Aggressive Approach

Many young quarterbacks, petrified to make a mistake, are content to dink and dunk the ball downfield. That has not been Packers QB Jordan Love’s approach.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – It’s easy to avoid interceptions. Just don’t throw the ball downfield or into coverage. In other words, play it safe. Play chicken.

That’s not been Jordan Love’s approach.

Of the NFL’s 32 starting quarterbacks, the Green Bay Packers’ first-year starter is only one of eight without an interception. Love has not been conservative. Not even a little.

According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, a league-high 25.0 percent of Love’s attempts have been deemed “aggressive.” That’s a throw in which the defender is within 1 yard of the receiver at the time of the completion or incompletion.

Winning quarterback play is about walking that fine line between making big plays while avoiding big mistakes. It’s something Aaron Rodgers mastered over the years. Rodgers ranks eighth all-time (and second among active quarterbacks) in touchdown percentage and is first all-time in interception percentage.

Through two games, Love is tied for the NFL lead in touchdowns (six) and interceptions (zero), even without Christian Watson on the field to create separation through his explosive speed or by creating fear..

How does Love weigh the risk vs. the reward in the heat of the moment?

“Something you’ve just got to evaluate on the fly,” Love said after Wednesday’s practice in preparation for a Sunday showdown against the New Orleans Saints. “But that’s the name of the game is tight-window throws.

“We’ve got really good DBs in this league who make it hard. You’ve just got to trust yourself, trust the receiver (that) he’s going to go make that play. But you’ve got to know when to not force it sometimes (and) gauge how sticky that coverage is. But it’s not like you’re just going to find wide-open receivers every play. There’s going to be some tight windows. You’re going to have to try to fit balls in.”

Packers QB Jordan Love has thrown zero interceptions headed into Sunday vs. the Saints :: Photo by Jamie Sabau/USA Today Sports Images

Mostly, Love has fit the ball into the right spot or kept the ball out of harm’s way. Only one of his 52 passing attempts was in danger of being intercepted.

What’s allowed him to avoid the big mistake when there’s little margin for error?

“I think it comes from banked reps, and getting comfortable with it,” Love said. “It comes down to confidence and just not being afraid if it’s tight coverage that I might throw a pick or it might get batted down. Just having that confidence that you’re going to put it where it needs to be and the receiver is going to be able to catch it and make a play on it. It’s just a trust thing and just a confidence thing.”

That trust and confidence is lacking in many young quarterbacks. Because they lack the experience in the scheme or the belief in their ability relative to the players in the secondary, they oftentimes play exceedingly conservative. That was Love during his rookie training camp.

Not anymore.

“We just tell him to try to read it true, read with your feet and go with the ball wherever the read dictates,” coach Matt LaFleur said.

For Love, it’s not just the abundance of tight-window throws that defines his aggressive approach. His average pass attempt has traveled 9.54 yards downfield, fourth-longest among starting quarterbacks. It’s not that Love has been going bomb’s away – his seven attempts of 20-plus yards are less than half of Saints quarterback Derek Carr’s league-high 15 – but he hasn’t thrown a bunch of passes at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Taken together, Love’s aggressive mind-set is a reason why the NFL’s No. 1-ranked passer is just 30th in completion percentage. Yes, he needs to throw the football more accurately at times, but he hasn’t had an abundance of easy completions to fatten up his percentage.

“We’ve taken a few more, not necessarily shots, but down-the-field throws, which are going to be lower percentage (but), if you hit them, they’re explosive plays,” LaFleur said. “I think there’s a multitude of reasons. For the most part, he’s thrown the ball pretty accurately and he’s made really good decisions and he’s playing within the timing of the offense.”

A huge challenge awaits on Sunday. While Love is No. 1 in passer rating, the Saints are No. 2 in opponent passer rating. In defensive end Cameron Jordan, cornerback Marshon Lattimore and safety Tyrann Mathieu, the Saints have three veteran difference-makers.

“I think I’ve played good,” Love said. “There’s always things you want to clean up. You look back and are like, ‘That’s pretty good.’ At the end of the day, it comes down to wins and losses, too.

“I’m only as good as this team. The passer rating, those are team stats. Those are guys making plays on the back end and you trust them to go out there and make those plays, the o-line protection holding up. Those are all team stats right there but, at the end of the day, it comes down to wins and losses.”

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